


Do a Kickflip!

by SapphireAmethystPatch



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: 1995 au, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Skateboarding, Skating fluff, also ao3 volunteers: i love you, everyone is alive and lives in 1995, juke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29671341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireAmethystPatch/pseuds/SapphireAmethystPatch
Summary: It's Spring 1995, and Julie wants to spend some time at the new skate park. Unbeknownst to her, five boys are waiting to turn her summer (and life) for the better.Or! 5 times Julie ran into Sunset Curve, and 1 time she met with them intentionally.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 11
Kudos: 131





	Do a Kickflip!

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU, Sunset Curve successfully played the Orpheum, they are still alive, and everyone lives in 1995. 
> 
> This is mostly Juke, but Julie spends a little one-on-one time with all the Sunset Curve boys plus Willie. Basically, it's just 1995!Julie and 1995!Flynn meet Sunset Curve and the 7 of them become besties. Also, lots of skateboarding/longboarding because it's just so *good*!
> 
> While writing this, I got so nostalgic for the 90s. And by the 90s I mean I got nostalgic for growing up in my grandparent's outdated home in the early 2000s. Nonetheless, I did a lot of research for this that wasn't needed but damn it I did! I did need it! For Me! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This ended up a lot longer than I thought, but oh well

#####  1.

Saturdays were Julie’s favorite day of the week. She slept in, ate cereal with her little brother while watching his favorite cartoons, and then she disappeared into the garage to write and play music. Her mom joined her most of the time, but today, she settled on the couch alone to get some lyrics out. 

Despite her mind running rampant all week, she couldn’t get the words out on paper. Not with the sun shining through the windows, not with the clear blue sky and perfect late spring weather calling out to her. 

She hated spending sunny days inside.

Grabbing her discman, her music notebook (and plenty of colored pens) and some snacks, she hit the pavement. Destination: the new skate park the city built, just a few blocks away from her home.

With the 80 degree weather, light breeze, and Blink-182 blasting through her headphones, it wasn’t long before Julie found herself at the park, teeming with playful energy. Kids played at the playground nearby, and the skate park was near filled with skaters of all ages. 

Settling herself under the shade of a nearby tree, she pulled her notebook and her mother’s CD book out of her backpack.

A CD she had never noticed before, plain black with the words  _ Sunset Curve _ in white lettering called her attention, so she slipped it into her Walkman.

While the CD crackled to life, a group of teen boys not 20 feet from her tree laughed loudly. A tall boy with blond hair was struggling to balance on a skateboard, another one with long brown hair gripping his forearms for balance as he walked along, pulling the blond one along. Three other guys stood off to the side, cheering him on. The sight brought a smile to Julie’s face as the first song started to play.

_ take off, last stop _

_ count down till we blast open the top _

_ face first, full charge _

_ electric hammer to the heart _

She got out some lyrics before taking a break to watch the group of boys. Their joy was radiating off them like the summer sun’s rays, it was hard not to watch.

Julie liked to people watch. When she’d go to the park with her dad, they’d make up nicknames and stories. Maybe it wasn’t great to do, but it was enjoyable and these five boys were especially intriguing to watch. 

Mr. Pink (the blond guy on the skateboard, named for his shirt) and Rapunzel (for his long, probably very soft hair) were making their way over to the rest of the group. They had an ease to them, and something about them clicked with Julie (she didn’t know it was because their music was seeping into her at the moment). 

Red Flannel was looking, for all the world, like an excited puppy, and the guy her dad would have named Biceps had Buzzkill in a headlock. 

Julie found herself looking at Biceps a little longer than was necessary, but she blamed it on the fact his shirt didn’t have any sleeves. What was up with that anyway? 

Flannel elbowed Biceps and nodded his head over to where she was sitting, and Biceps looked over. Their eyes locked. In a fluster, Julie looked back down at her notebook, head empty except for _oh no he’s cute he’s cute_ _he’s cute he’s_ \--

Julie’s train of thought halted when a shadow appeared over her legs and notebook. Startled a little, she pulled her headphones down and saw Biceps himself standing over her, a respectable distance away.

“Hey!” he said, giving her a small, awkward wave. Her throat dried up, watched him bounce on the balls of his feet.

“Hi, what’s up?” She hoped her smile was welcoming enough, willed her eyebrows to lower from where they’d climbed up her forehead.

“Nothing much, just saw you over here and thought I’d say hi. I’m Luke.”

Julie shook his outstretched hand without thinking about it, too busy hoping she wasn’t as easy to read as everyone said she was. “I’m Julie, it’s nice to meet you. You wanna sit?”

His eyes lit up as he sat down, back against the tree, their legs making a 45 degree angle (bless math class).

“Whatcha writing?” he said, just above a whisper. Julie felt like they were in their own little bubble. His feet swayed back and forth, the toes of his converse tapping together lightly.

“Some song lyrics. Usually I do this in my mom’s studio but it was so nice out, I thought I’d come out.” There was something indescribable about meeting a stranger and talking to them like they were an old friend. Luke was just one of those people, she guessed. She handed him her notebook, letting him read the few lines she had written.

“Woah, thanks for letting me read your work. I know music can be kinda personal.” Luke gave her another warm smile before handing back the notebook. She hoped he couldn’t hear her pounding heart. “Y’know, I write music too. Those are my bandmates over there.”

Luke gestured over to the group. Flannel was trying and failing to balance alone on the skateboard, swatting away Buzzkill’s helping hands with a laugh.

“Have I heard your band’s music before?”

“Maybe. We’ve been playing the club scene a lot this last year. I don’t mean to brag, but we played The Orpheum a couple months ago.”

In spite of his words sounding cocky, Julie could tell by the way he ducked his head he wasn’t trying to boast. But his eyes seemed… hopeful? Julie decided not to look into that.

“No way! Congrats!” Julie hoped she wasn’t crossing a line by lightly punching hiS arm. Luckily, he seemed to take it in stride. He playfully swayed, exaggerating her hit, and swinging back to bump their shoulders.

“Whatcha listening to?” 

She hadn’t noticed the music still softly playing from her headphones, now forgotten in the grass by her thigh. 

“Oh! I’m not exactly sure, I found the CD in my mom’s collection and thought I’d give it a try.” She held up her headphones by their ears, both of them leaning in to listen. His bare shoulder pressed against her arm, the back of her neck tingling, trying desperately not to think about his body heat seeping through her thin shirt. He started to hum along.

“No way! This is us! Sunset Curve!” The indescribable joy shone out from his very soul and bounced back into her own.

“You’re kidding!” 

“You wanna come over, meet the guys? I’m sure they’d love to meet you, Julie.” Luke stood up, and she was sure the way he said her name was going to fill her mind that night. As if he could see her hesitance, he continued, “Don’t worry, they’re all pretty chill.”

Her shoulders relaxed as she giggled, accepting the offer and putting her stuff back in her backpack and following Luke over to the guys. Their hands brushed just once, but it was enough to keep Julie on her toes for the short walk over. 

“Hey, everybody, this is Julie. Julie, this is Bobby and Alex.” Luke introduced everyone. 

Alex was every bit laid back as she thought, and she found Bobby was quite enjoyable. The four talked about music and their favorite snacks while watching Reggie on the skateboard with Willie (Rapunzel. Alex confirmed his hair was indeed very soft). 

Once the two boys noticed their group had increased one, they walked over and introduced themselves. 

“Jules, you skate?” Luke asked, and Julie noted the way he always bounced, and the way his smile was asking if his nickname was alright. 

“No, but I’ve always wanted to try.” She smiled up at him (how did it take her this long to notice how tall he was?) and he took the board from Willie’s hands.

Julie expected Willie to protest, weren’t skaters protective of their boards? But Willie just smirked at the back of Luke’s head as the latter set it down in front of Julie’s feet. 

The idea of even getting onto the board tied a knot of excitement and fear in her stomach. Luke held out his hands to her after seeing her hesitance. 

Julie tried not to think about how nice his hands felt in hers. She ignored the racing of her heart, instead focusing on the softness of his palms, and the contrast of calluses on his fingertips, the ones on his left hand a little more coarse. His grip was steady as she stepped onto the board, the other boys taking a few steps back. 

“Do you play guitar?” She blurted before she could stop herself, still looking at their hands.

“I-- yeah, how’d you know?”

Gosh, how was she supposed to focus when he spoke to her like  _ that _ , like she had handed him the stars.

“Your… your fingers. They’re callused, and I thought it was probably from guitar strings.” Her face burned as his hands shook a little from his quiet laughter. 

“Thank you for noticing.” His voice dropped both in pitch and volume. From the way her knees wobbled the slightest bit, he may as well have serenaded her.

She could hear the boys snickering behind them, but hadn’t caught what the joke was, the blood rushing in her ears making it hard to hear anything but Luke. He directed her feet into the right position, and stood in front of her, on the side of the board she was facing.

He whispered, asking if she was ready, and finally she looked up at him, finding she was nearly eye level with him with the increased height of the board. Wordlessly, she nodded, and Luke started forward, pulling her along with him. 

The board went over a bump in the sidewalk, and her stomach flipped over itself as she planted her feet firmer into the board, hands tightening around his.

“Here, can I…” The wheels came to a stop and Luke walked around, stopping behind her. 

Before she could figure out what he was doing, his hands laid gently on her hips. The knot in her stomach gained a few twists. 

“Yeah! Yeah, that’s fine. Could use the stability.” She forced herself to laugh. 

Once again, Luke started forward, this time pushing. Steady hands tightened around her and her heart fluttered dangerously fast. 

He had sped up to a casual walking pace, the bumps in the sidewalk seeming less scary than before. They went a ways, then Luke helped her turn around. And then his hands were back on her like they were his home, and Julie couldn’t help but giggle and outstretch her hands with glee. She soaked in the vociferous applause and cheers from the boys. Willie shouted ‘Yes! Get it!” and Julie wasn’t sure if he was referring to the skateboard or Luke’s hands still firmly keeping her balanced.

All too soon the board came to a stop and Luke’s hands left a chill on her waist, only for heat to spread across her chest as he stepped around the board in a tizzy to help her down. 

His hands lingered on hers for a moment longer than was needed once she had secured herself on solid ground. Not that she was complaining. 

Julie was feeling on top of the world, until Reggie offered to take her to their house so he could give her their newest CD.

Many red flags started waving in her mind, even after Alex scoffed and apologised for Reggie.  _ Their _ house? Like, all the boys?  _ Take her there _ ?

“It’s not far. It’s actually just right there.” Luke pointed across the street to a small cream colored house a few houses down from where they were standing. It looked old and unkempt, and she wondered if that was because of the boys, or if it was all they could afford. 

Bobby and Reggie offered to go over themselves and grab a copy, and Willie took Alex over to the skatepark before Luke could say anything about it. Luke awkwardly shoved his hands into his pockets, and the silence stretched thin. 

“Was Reggie serious? That’s  _ your _ house?” Julie was desperate to fill the silence with anything at all, but regretted it immediately.

“Yeah. He and Alex and I live there.” He looked at his shoes.

“Oh. I just kind of assumed you guys were, well, around my age.” Julie forced a giggle, hoping she wasn’t overstepping, and admittedly trying too hard to defuse the tension. 

“We are! Technically, Reggie’s parents are renting it, but we pay for it. It’s nice, we can have band practice basically whenever. Well, whenever Bobby can.”

Julie felt like there was more to the story, but it was clear Luke didn’t want to talk about it so she dropped it.

“So do the guys help you write lyrics?" Julie ventured, sitting down on the grass a few paces away from the sidewalk. "That first song on the demo was pretty good.”

And just like that, the Luke she had met an hour ago was back.

"Now or Never? Yeah, that's one of my favorites!" He sat down by her, not exactly next to her, but not directly in front of her. If she wanted, she could have reached out to hold his hand. And boy, how she wanted to. "Mostly the lyrics are mine, but the guys all help with the instrumentals. That verse about the revolution in the rain was a Reginald original, and he insisted he get to sing it."

Happy with the familiar territory, Julie humored him while he gushed about some works in progress, the smile on his face all worth it in the end. Soon enough, Reggie and Bobby came back with the aforementioned CD (the album was titled Time Jump) and a t-shirt. 

Luke snagged the shirt from his bandmate and gave it to Julie, their band logo printed on the front. "For you, size beautiful."

The line was corny, but it still made Julie blush as she slipped the shirt over the yellow one she was already wearing. She didn't really register Reggie's 'That's my line!' and something about the way Luke was looking at her made her believe he didn't hear Reggie either. 

A gust of wind caused a shiver to course through her, and she realised she had been out for a while. 

"Oh, I should probably get home."

The guys wished her goodbye's and get-home-safe's. Luke did not. 

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

That had been the last thing Julie expected him to say. But he looked so hopeful, and she really couldn't have denied his company even if she wanted to. 

"I'd like that, thanks."

The rest of the guys looked among themselves and chuckled, making their way to the house while Julie led Luke in the opposite direction. 

At first they walked across the manicured field in comfortable silence, but Julie was quickly learning Luke couldn’t handle silence.

“What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?”

She snorted into her hand. “That was random. Bubblegum.”

“Birthday cake.”

“Ooh, classic.”

“Yeah, you know that ice cream place down on Peach Tree? They’re killer.”

“No way, didn’t know there was a parlor down there! I’ll have to stop by sometime.”

Julie liked to think she was observant, but it was times like this when she doubted her wit.

“Oh yeah, they have so many flavors, you’d need a seasoned veteran to help you decide.” He nudged her shoulder with his own, sending her another electric smile and she had to wonder if he ever ran out of energy. And then she realized he was _ asking her out _ . Two could play at that game.

“Tell you what: if we ever run into each other again, then we can get some ice cream. My treat.”

It was as if the prospect of a game was his own personal heaven, and Julie found herself enjoying Luke more and more. 

“I accept your challenge.”

Julie came to a stop just before crossing the last road before her street. Hey, she may like the guy, but she had met him literally an hour ago. Stranger danger.

“You can drop me here. It was really nice to meet you Luke.” Her hand laid on his forearm before she could chicken out. She let her fingers linger on his arm as she stepped away, throwing a smile over shoulder as she walked away, leaving a very smitten Luke Patterson behind to whistle his way home.

#####  2.

On Tuesday, Julie found some free time after school. Bidding her family goodbye (and avoiding questions of the park; maybe she was easier to read than she thought) she set out with her discman and her two Sunset Curve CDs. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she had been playing their songs on repeat for the last three days.

She took a deep breath of fresh air, the cool air filling her lungs and sharpening her focus. It was a bit more chilly today than it was on Saturday, so she had slipped on her favorite yellow sweater before heading out. 

She took the time to listen to the birds chirp as she made the short walk to the park. It was calming and grounding, and she wondered why she didn’t take quiet walks more often.

Finally arriving, she stood still for a moment, wondering where to go. She supposed she could make it a bit harder for Luke to find her, but she was a romantic after all, so she settled down at the tree from before, facing the skate park more than the cream colored house she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off. 

She was a little too happy to slip on her headphones. The now familiar riff of  _ Now or Never _ set her heart into motion. Needing something to do with her hands, she pulled out her homework and got started. 

After breezing through her math and english, Julie let herself take a break. With Luke’s voice blasting in her ears and the warmth of the sun on her face, she gave in to the urge to lay down.

She wasn’t sure how long she laid under the tree, eyes closed (and smiling like a goof), when someone sat down next to her and gently pulled the headset from one of her ears.

“Listening to something good?”

Julie opened one eye, surprised to see Willie against the painted sky. 

“Only the best.” She responded, gesturing for Willie to lay next to her while she laid the headphones beside her head, turning the volume up.

When Willie finally settled in the grass, Julie could practically feel his radiant smile.

“They are the best, aren’t they?” His voice was uncharacteristically soft.

“How long have you known the guys?”

“A couple months. I met Alex while I was skateboarding down Hollywood Boulevard. Ran right into him.”

“Oh my gosh! What’d he say?”

“Well after I got up, I said ‘Aw man, you dinged my board’ and he said ‘Your board? You dinged me’ !”

They burst into a fit of giggles as the song came to a close between their ears. 

“Alex seems pretty cool. Didn’t get a chance to really talk to him much, but he did mention how soft your hair is.” Julie laughed, then backtracked after her ears heard her words for the first time. “Apparently! I haven’t like, touched your hair.” She turned her head to look at Willie. He was still looking at the sky, and… blushing?  _ Oh _ .

“He said that?”

“Yup.” Julie popped the p, unable to stop the grin on her face.

Willie seemed to feel her gaze on him, turning his head and meeting her eyes. She waggled her eyebrows, eliciting laughter and a push of her shoulder.

They laid in comfortable silence for a while longer, just listening to the music and enjoying each other’s company. When the demo finished, they parted ways, promising to see each other again.

As Julie walked home, she thought about Alex on Willie’s board, holding his arms for stability, and it all made sense. She looked down to her shoes to hide her smile. They were just too cute.

#####  3.

Julie didn’t find time to stop by the park until next Saturday, which she supposed was a good thing. Flynn had pried the info from her, and was bent on coming with her, but Julie wasn’t sure. On one hand, she knew the guys would enjoy Flynn’s humor, but Julie was already stepping into their group and felt a little weird bringing another person when she’d only hung out with them once (twice with Willie).

Alas, Flynn convinced her to stop by that ice cream place Luke mentioned, so they set out after lunch at Flynn’s house.

The quickest way Julie knew how to get to Peach Tree was through the park, so she led Flynn across the park field, going around the skate park and heading west.

She had pointed out the tree where Luke approached her and where she laid with Willie, and pointed out their house as they passed by. 

“They live there? Didn’t you say they were our age?”

“They are! I promise. I showed you their photos.” Julie blushed a little. When she had pulled their demo out of her backpack yesterday to show Flynn what they looked like, Flynn had teased her endlessly about keeping the CD in her backpack, presumably to gaze at Luke. Julie didn’t need to admit to her crime. Flynn always knew. “Luke didn’t wanna talk about it. I bet they didn’t have great home lives.”

“Dang. That’s kinda cool, though. They just get to live there without parents telling them what to do. Living the dream.”

Julie pulled at the strap of Flynn’s overalls as a car whizzed past them, Flynn’s feet stuttering on the curb. Julie could only smile and roll her eyes at her friend’s unawareness of her surroundings.

Flynn shot back a smile before they ran across the road kitty-corner, stepping into Peach Tree Plaza.

Neither her nor Flynn had heard of any other stores closing down, so they made their way across the lot to what used to be a small bakery that closed last winter. Sure enough, there was a cutesy little ice cream parlor in its place, a pastel themed place named  _ Chill Pill _ . 

A breeze of chilly air hit the girl’s faces as they stepped in, the tinkle of a bell above the door signaling their arrival. The store was empty, save for a few groups of teens and kids sitting at tables. Even the furniture was adorable, swirly metal chair backs and table legs, chair cushions the colors of springtime. The whole place looked like it was made of sherbet. 

Flynn stepped up to the counter, tapping the bell. A cheerful voice called out from the back, and then a familiar face appeared around the corner.

“Reggie!” Julie exclaimed, too overjoyed by the atmosphere to filter herself.

“Hey Jules! Long time no see.” He wiped his hands on his white apron with a jolly smile and  _ goodness _ he looked like he was right at home behind the counter with cute stuffed animals in every corner. 

“If I’d have known you worked here, I’d have come sooner.”

“Weren’t you gonna come with Luke?”

Flynn snorted beside her. 

“Um. Yes! Yes, we were. Didn’t know he, uh, told you guys. Sorry, this is my best friend Flynn. Flynn, this is Reggie of Sunset Curve.”

Flynn was quick to launch her hand out for a shake. “It’s a pleasure. Julie hasn’t shut up about you guys all week.”

Julie elbowed her stomach, but Reggie didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he seemed… mirthful.

“Oh yeah, not a day has gone by that Luke hasn’t mentioned Julie.” Reggie winked at her as he pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket. He started speaking in a high-pitched mocking voice, “ _ She likes our music! She writes too! We’re gonna get ice cream! _ All the time, nonstop.” Julie flushed, noting he looked just as comfortable in floral pale green than he did in red flannel, and thought about what else his style contained in an effort to not think about what Luke presumably said. “What can I get you ladies?”

Flynn asked about flavors, Reggie waving her over to the case of ice cream, pointing at tubs and making recommendations.

Finally Flynn settled on a coffee/vanilla swirl, and Julie asked for birthday cake. 

“Jules, you literally don’t even like _ regular _ cake.”

“Yes I do! I just wanted to try something different.”

Julie could tell Reggie was about to make a comment that Flynn really didn’t need to hear (she had enough ammunition already!) from the way his eyebrows raised and he let his hand linger on the cup of ice cream while sliding it to Julie. 

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with--”

“Don’t even, Reginald.” Julie said, happy with the way his jaw slacked at hearing his full name.

They paid and wished Reggie a good shift. He seemed overjoyed to see them, and Julie knew he was gonna tell Luke everything. She wasn’t sure if she should be nervous or flattered.

#####  4.

Apparently Julie was on a destined path to run into every member of Sunset Curve separately, every one except the one she really wanted to see. 

She had gone into a clothing store just to browse for a moment when two young girls, who looked no older than 13, tapped on her shoulder. Turning her attention away from the rack of sweaters, Julie smiled at the shorter girls.

“I just wanted to say you are  _ so _ pretty!” Gushed one. 

“And we love your shirt! Where’d you get it?” The other piped. Both girls looked as if they’d spent the whole day running around the mall and laughing themselves silly.

“Aw, thanks! I love your earrings,” Julie gently tapped her own ears, and the two girls touched their matching set of butterfly earrings and giggled. Julie glanced down at her graphic tee, playing with the fold where she had tucked it into her jeans, “I think I got this from Delia’s.”

“I told you we should go to Delia’s!” one of them lightly punched her friend.

“Hey hey, leave the poor girl alone!” A tall boy came up behind the girls, shopping bags hanging off each arm. He turned his attention to Julie, recognition blooming in his smile. “Julie! Sorry about them.”

“Hey Bobby! Funny running into you here.” Julie smiled, the whole situation quite amusing.

The girls asked him how he knew so many cool people (Julie pretended not to hear this, looking at her shoes and instead trying not to laugh at Bobby’s massive change in demeanor), and Bobby ended up getting the girls to browse some more while he and Julie made small talk.

By the time Julie left the store, she had gathered some key information. One, Bobby had been voluntold by his parents to accompany his little sister and her friend to the mall. Two, Bobby was a great older brother and loved his sister Mary dearly. And three, Luke was absolutely  _ anxious _ to see when he’d run into Julie, seeing as ‘the universe had bent itself over backwards to make him suffer’. His words, not Bobby’s. The idea that Julie had so permanently settled into Luke’s thoughts caused a slew of butterflies to erupt in her stomach. She supposed it was a little hard for him to avoid her, however, with her running into one of his bandmates every few days. Bless Bobby’s love of making fun of Luke for the new info.

Julie meandered her way through the mall to the music store, in no hurry to arrive. She had a guy to daydream about! 

Once she stepped into the music store though, her resolve came back, remembering what she had come to the mall for in the first place. She usually would make her way to the back where the guitar stuff was, but upon getting to the back of the store, she only grew confused. They must have moved stuff around, cause she was staring at a wall of hi-hats, drum sticks, and replacement drumhead skins. 

“No way. Luke is gonna be so mad.”

Julie turned around at the new voice and laughed out loud.

“No kidding. You know I just ran into Bobby, like, five minutes ago?”

Alex took another step closer to her so he wasn’t so far away. “Bobby hates the mall! Was he with his sister?”

“You know it. So are you guys stalking me, or…?”

“Oh yeah, we put a tracker on your shoes. Wondering when you’d notice.” Alex shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled, rocking back on his heels.

“Oh! Excuse me.” Julie stepped off to the side, realizing he was probably back there for some drum stuff. 

“Thanks.” he smiled at the ground as he stepped up, grabbing a few pairs of plain drumsticks. 

“Pardon me for asking, but don’t you... have some of those?”

“Not until last night. Luke tried deadlifting Reggie using my last pair as a barbell. Snapped like a twig.”

Julie looked at Alex, bewildered, waiting for the punchline. The awkward silence plus the realization that there was no punchline brought on an ugly laugh that she was glad only Alex was hearing.

“Color me surprised, I didn’t know you played the kit.”

“Oh! No, I haven’t been in here in a while, they must have moved the guitar stuff.”

“No sweat! They put it by the amps.” Alex nodded with his head, so she followed him to another inlet of the store, where sure enough, their usual supply of guitar accessories displayed on shelves. 

“Thanks.” Julie scanned for a moment, then grabbed a box of acoustic guitar strings. “I decided to try guitar again, and I guess it’s been a lot longer than I thought. Three of the strings popped right off.”

“Yikes. Luke goes through those like they’re nothing.” Alex smiled at her. Not his normal smile. This one was cocky.

“I bet he does.” Julie didn’t really know what to say. She could just tell Alex was trying to get her to admit to something pertaining to Luke. And if anybody could get her talking, she’d bet it was him.

“You know, Luke hasn’t shut up about you.”

Oh. Direct.

“So Bobby says. And Reggie. And Willie…”

“It’s cause it’s true! Please take pity on the boy. He’s about ready to flip through the phonebook and call everyone in the neighborhood looking for you.”

“Wow, didn’t think you guys had a landline.”

“Hey, we may live in a pigsty, but we aren’t animals.”

Julie relaxed a bit, letting herself chuckle. Alex was a lot of fun. 

“Nah, this game is pretty fun. Besides, I’ve already run into everyone else; he’s next.”

“But what if you just run into Willie again and start all over?”

“Then Luke’ll just have to find me.” Julie didn’t know where this confidence was coming from, but it was _ exhilarating _ . Never before had she felt like she had the upper hand, and she intended to hold onto it for as long as possible. 

She and Alex went their separate ways, her browsing for a while longer while Alex paid and left. But now that she had actually run into every member of Sunset Curve (and more), now she felt a little paranoid. Was the universe actually saving Luke for last, or was this coincidence? A sudden pressure to find him first overtook her, and Julie hurried home, not eager to run into him just yet. Call it apprehension, but the buildup had been tense. The climax of this odd little story was sure to be just as intense. 

Besides, she had to dial Flynn and tell her everything. 

#####  5.

Friday morning, Julie was awoken by her mother just minutes before her alarm was set to go off. Rose was silently switching off the alarm and leaned down to kiss Julie’s forehead.

At Julie's grunt of confusion, Rose smiled fondly. “Sleep in darling, it’s farmer’s market day.”

Farmer’s market day was Julie’s favorite. Signaling the end of spring, her mom would let her and Carlos (her little brother) stay home from school to take in the bustle of activity and sights and smells of the booths. She must have taken Carlos yesterday.

Julie let herself settle back into sleep for another few blissful hours before getting ready, throwing on her favorite blue minidress and rushing downstairs, her mom reading a book on the couch. 

“Ready mija?” Her mom sat up and closed her book. 

“Yes! I can’t wait.”

The car ride was anything but silent. Julie finally showed her mom the second Sunset Curve CD and told her all about the boys, and they jammed out. Once there, they parked a bit away and opted to walk for the full experience. 

Julie loved the farmer’s market. So many fruit vendors, and the scent of spices filled the air. Not to mention the many booths selling handmade jewelry, clothes, blankets, and many other pretty things to see. 

It was the perfect day for it, too. It would have been a pity to spend this beautiful sunny day at school.

While her mother left to negotiate the price of fresh tangerines, she wandered a few booths over where the sight of jicama called to her. As she debated asking her mother if they could get some to munch on as they shopped, a hand settled between her shoulder blades, light as a feather, as the owner of said hand walked behind her and stood their ground right beside her. 

“Can I get you anything?” The person, whom Julie recognised by the timbre of his voice alone, asked in her ear to be heard above the noise.

“You really don’t have to.” She fought to keep her eyes forward, hoping he was doing the same so he wouldn’t see her flush. 

“Well, you owe me an ice cream date now, so I figure it’s fair.” The forwardness of Luke’s tone startled her, like he was just stating a fact and not pulling all the breath from her lungs. He stood up to full height again, and Julie cursed him for being so tall.

“You got me there.” She let out an amused huff, glancing over to where her mother was still aggressively talking to the man at the booth. Julie smiled and turned back to Luke, finally letting herself enjoy in his coveted company.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” He teased.

“Family tradition. Mom’s over there trying to weasel that guy out of all his tangerines. Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Oh, your mom?”

His hands making a beeline for his pockets didn’t go unnoticed, and the way he bounced seemed a little forced. Contrary to his normal bounce. Okay, she may have been thinking about him endlessly. In any case, she ignored his dismissal of her jab. 

“She’d pretty chill, she’d love to meet you.”

“You think so?”

“For sure!”

Julie almost couldn’t handle his megawatt smile, not when it was directed at her like that. She turned away to look at the jars of sliced jicama. 

“You want one?”

“Really, you don’t--”

“I want to.”

His eyes practically pleaded with her, and she couldn’t really say no to him, not when he was offering to buy her favorite snack for her. She sighed and gave in, much to his delight. He shelled out the few dollars and snagged a jar, handing it to her giddily, like a child giving their parent a drawing made just for them. She popped open the jar and offered one to him, and they both enjoyed a stick and weaved their way through the crowd to her mother. 

“No, 90 cents. That's my final offer.” Rose said, determination on her face. The vendor accepted with a smile. Julie wasn’t surprised, despite the sign above stating the little fruits were going for $1.20 a pound.

“Thanks darling!” Her mother exclaimed, accepting the offered stick of jicama while the vendor bagged their citrus. “Who’s this?”

“Mami, this is Luke, Luke, this is my mom.” Julie watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, accepting her handshake. She bit back a smile. 

“It’s so nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Julie nearly choked on her jicama. The last word she expected to come out of him was “ma’am”, yet here they were. Her mom only laughed, swatting her hand and insisting he call her Rose.

After grabbing the tangerines and placing them in the large bag they brought, Rose led the way down the market, Luke and Julie following close behind, far enough away to share their own comments about the people and their weekly endeavors. 

While her mom verbally wrestled with another vendor over eggplants, Luke pointed over to a jewelry stand, intertwining their fingers to pull her along. Her heart skipped a beat, then pumped impossibly fast, even after the initial thrill down her spine had faded. He was pulling the breath from her lungs alright, infusing it with pure delight before giving it back like precious treasure. 

“These are so rad,” he whispered, and Julie was sure she wouldn’t have heard him had she not been buzzing with adrenaline. The bracelets  _ were _ really nice, and Julie found herself looking at a few she thought would look good with the many bracelets on her wrists already. “Which one’s ya looking at?”

“This one is super cool, but I also like this one.” Julie pointed at a plain black beaded one, and at a blue and purple friendship style one. Julie flipped a mental coin and decided on the purple one. 

"We'll take that one." Luke told the woman behind the booth, pointing at Julie's bracelet. 

"No no, seriously, it's fine."

"You want it. I can't not get it for you."

"I can buy it myself."

"But where's the fun in that?" Luke smirked, dangling the bracelet in between their faces. Too late, Julie realized he had been bantering with her as a distraction, and he had already paid for it. She pouted goodnaturedly, giving him a you-shouldn't-have-done-that-but-I'm-grateful-you-did look.

His rough fingers, the same ones she had been dreaming about holding for the last two weeks, touched gently on the inside of her wrist. Skin hypersensitive and air thick, Julie swallowed as he lifted her hand up. His fingers worked quickly, tying the bracelet onto its new forever home on her left hand, taking an orange one’s place as the closest bracelet to her palm.

She wasn’t sure she would be able to speak, especially after he twined their hands once again, and silently urged her to go back to her mom. She settled for a nod and a smile.

Julie can’t help but notice the passive position he’d put himself in as they weave through the crowd. His hand is behind hers, content to support and be pulled along for the ride, and his dominant one is occupied with running his thumb over her knuckles while hers is free to do whatever; it’s no water off her back to hold his hand with her left one. It’s thrilling, the faith he’d put in her. And she didn’t know whether to be more delighted to imagine it was an unconscious choice or an intentional one.

Her mother spared her the teasing even though Julie knows she noticed the new bracelet brushing against Luke’s wrist. 

They spent the next few hours browsing and chatting, her mom grilling Luke as casually as a mother can, and Julie’s delighted to find Luke was a bit more confident in his answers when her fingers were giving small squeezes or tracing patterns against his skin.

Julie doesn’t really remember much after the bracelet booth, her mind too occupied on the way his calluses would catch in the tiny grooves of her knuckles. It constantly kept her hyper alert to the way his bare arm brushed against her own, and she can’t imagine how giddy she must have looked and hopes he won’t notice. 

(Would it be so bad if he did?)

The day was everything she could have wanted. Luke walked her and her mom to their car when they finished shopping, and Julie decided to take Alex’s advice.

“What’s this?” He asked as Julie slips the folded piece of paper into his hand just before she steps into the car. 

“Pity.” Julie winked, and promptly avoided his gaze, almost scared to really look at the blush pooling across his face. “Thank Alex.”

“It was bad enough my turn was last.” He pouted, sticking his bottom lip out comically.

“Well,” Julie starts, tapping his fist where the paper she had scribbled on was hidden, “You can have your turn whenever.”

It’s not until her mom asked all her questions and the radio came to a lull that Julie let herself imagine what Luke’s expression must have looked like when he read the note. When he saw her phone number and the smiley face and the heart. 

#####  +1.

It’s Wednesday, but during summer, everyday felt like Saturday. Bathing suit under her clothes, she headed out.

She was glad she didn’t have to walk to the park anymore (not that it was too far, but the longboard Luke gave to her had only served to spoil) and she arrived in a breeze, catching sight of Flynn and Willie dominating the skate park ramps. 

She took the long way around, boarding all the way around the field on the curving sidewalk instead of walking across the grass like she normally would. Today was too laid back to rush.

As she came closer to the skate park, she could make out Alex’s iconic pink shirt, and Reggie with his flannel tied around his hips. 

And Luke. Skating in lazy circles around the smooth middle area, another skater whizzing past him. 

Julie came to a stop, hopping off her board and scooping it up as she skipped over to Alex and Reggie, leaning against the rails to watch their friends from outside the rink.

“Nice of you to join us, Molina.” Reggie prodded, grabbing the board from her hands and setting it down to stand on. 

“Reg, Lex, always a pleasure.” Julie shot the boys a smile.

Julie stepped up on the rail, swinging her legs over to dangle her feet in the rink. 

“Hey, do a kickflip!” She shouted.

Luke’s head whipped around, and the telltale smile she called _ hers  _ spread across his face. He did as she asked (she knew he would; he learned just for her) and lazily rolled his way over to her, coming to a stop and laying his board against the rail.

“You made it!” He stood between her legs, hands on either side of her own on the warm metal, placing a quick kiss to her lips. 

“Course I did. Did you miss me?”

“Always.”

Alex pretended to gag, mumbling about how romance was dumb, until Willie had joined them, Flynn in tow. Then Alex was all smiles.

Flynn returned Reggie’s board to him, Julie giving Flynn a big hug and snagging her board back from Reggie.

In a hurry, Bobby came skating in on his own board, backpack filled with (presumably) snacks and drinks and sunscreen. Everyone welcomed him with hugs and fist bumps and wet-willies. 

Once everyone was in accordance, Willie took the initiative, “I was thinking after the beach, we could all just hang at Chill Pill and watch the stars tonight in the field.”

Everyone agreed, so Willie led the way to the beach, past Peach Tree and down the winding hill, the glittering ocean already in sight.

With the sun at her back, her friends laughing, and boyfriend wiggling back and forth in front of her, begging for her attention, Julie had to take a moment and just breathe. She was going to spend a fantastic day with friends at the beach and eat ice cream and stargaze, surely in their signature pile, never quite knowing who you were laying on or who was on you. 

The laughter surrounding her was music to Julie’s ears, the absence of cars at midmorning a blessing for her riding rag-tag team, and life couldn’t be better.

Luke threw a smile over his shoulder, eyes locking in nothing but unbridled joy.

She was never spending a sunny day inside ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes:
> 
> So about the guy's house: Alex, Luke, and Reggie live in a little house by themselves. Alex because his parents kicked him out after he came out, Luke because he ran away from home, and Reggie because he just couldn't stand the arguing anymore. His parents agreed to rent the house on paper so long as the boys pay all the bills. Bobby and Willie are over almost all the time.


End file.
